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Introduction

W. Langdon Kihn—NGS Image Collection/The Art Archive

By
necessity, American Indians historically devoted much of their time to day-to-day problems on which their survival depended, such as how to produce enough food, avoid illness, and avoid or win in war. Because the world can be unpredictable, religion was also a dominant force in their lives. Indian religious beliefs and practices influenced all aspects of their everyday existence, from educating children to building homes, farming, hunting, warfare, and medicine.

As with so many aspects of Indian life, European colonization disrupted and threatened the survival of traditional native religions. Beliefs and rituals, long passed down through the oral tradition, were lost over centuries of political, economic, and religious domination. Nevertheless, despite the pervasive effects of modern society, Indian religions today show remarkable continuity with the past as well as remarkably creative adaptation to the present.

Indians often claim that their traditional ways of life do not include “religion.” They find the term difficult, often impossible, to translate into their own languages. This fact points to differences between Indian and Western views of what religion is. Western cultures consider the spiritual world to be supernatural—that is, beyond, above, or outside both nature and the human realm. Indian cultures, however, consider the natural and the supernatural to be inseparable. The spiritual is ever-present in the world in which humans live.

Traditional Themes and Practices

Beliefs

Traditional Indian religions were as diverse as the rest of their cultures, with many unique traits arising in different areas and at different times. Some beliefs, however, were widespread and typical of Indian religion more generally. Most Indians believed in a supernatural force that was present in all things. Among the Algonquian peoples, this force was known as manitou. The Iroquois called it orenda, and the Dakota (Sioux), wakanda. This force, commonly called the Creator, was the source of the world and all of the other spirits therein. The other spirits (or souls) inhabited humans as well as animals, plants, rocks, mountains, lakes, the sun, the winds, and other natural objects and phenomena. The Indians thought these spirits helped people that they liked and injured those who offended them. This belief system is called animism. The spirit world also included departed relatives as well as yet-to-be-born human beings. Religion was the way that the Indians related to all these spirits.

Many Indians believed that every individual could have a personal relationship with one or more spirits. When faced with a critical problem or decision, they generally sought help from the spirit world. The most common way to seek help was to undertake a vision quest. Many people tried their first vision quest as they entered adolescence, at about age 10 to 15. The quest typically involved fasting and praying for several days in an isolated location. In some cultures the participant would watch for an animal that behaved in a significant or unusual way. In others the participant discovered an object (often a stone) that resembled some animal. In the most common form, the person had a dream (the vision) in which a spirit-being appeared. Upon receiving a sign or vision, the person returned home and sought help in interpreting the experience. Among many peoples, the spirit that appeared in the vision quest became the participant’s lifelong totem, guardian, or advisor. Such spirit-beings were usually animals. The Northwest Coast wood-carvers put the sacred animals on totem poles, while Plains Indians painted them on tepees.

For the Indians, participation was a more important part of religion than belief. People did not typically argue about religious truths. Good-hearted participation in ceremonies and the everyday work of the community was the main requirement of a spiritual life. However, knowledgeable people with considerable life experience could informally discuss theology.

Generosity was a religious act as well as a social one in native cultures. People were taught to give in imitation of the generosity of the many spirits that provided for humans. The value of generosity was perhaps most dramatically shown in the potlatch of the Northwest Coast peoples, in which property and gifts were ceremonially distributed.

Shamans and Priests

People who had special powers to contact the spirits were known as shamans. They could be men or women of any age from childhood onward. Among many tribes they held a prominent place in society. Shamans acquired their supernatural power through a personal experience, such as a vision or a dream. They usually underwent initiation rituals as well.

Indians believed that shamans could control the weather, foretell the future, bring success in warfare and food gathering, and ease childbirth. In some cultures they were thought to guide the souls of the dead to their new home. South American shamans could perform sorcery, or witchcraft; they could, for example, become animals and drink the blood of their enemies.

The main task of shamans, however, was healing the sick. For this reason, they were sometimes called medicine men or medicine women. Some treatments included the use of roots and herbs as medicines. But Indians believed that some illnesses could be cured only by removing a foreign object from the body. In these cases the shaman often “removed” a symbolic object, such as a stone or arrowhead, through sleight of hand. Some groups, such as the Eskimo, believed that illness could result from the capture of the soul by a ghost. The shaman was said to undertake a journey to heaven or to the depths of the sea to retrieve the sick person’s soul and restore it to its body. A shaman’s performance was typically dramatic, and the cure was believed to be miraculous.

In some tribes shamans were organized into medicine societies. An example was the Iroquois False Face Society, whose members wore masks carved from living trees. In spring and fall they went from house to house shaking turtle-shell rattles and chanting to drive away evil spirits that caused disease. Another example was the Grand Medicine Society, or Midewiwin, of the Ojibwa and other Northeast Indians.

Priests played an important role in the religious life of some peoples. Unlike shamans, who usually worked with individuals, priests performed public ceremonies. Among the Inca, Maya, Aztec, and some Southeast Indians, priests were political as well as spiritual leaders.

Ceremonies

Individuals, villages, and tribes used a great variety of ceremonies to seek help from the spirits. Many of these ceremonies continue to be a feature of Indian life today. Ceremonies could be held on behalf of either an individual or the community as a whole. The Navajo and the Pueblo, neighboring peoples of the Southwest culture area, illustrate these contrasting approaches. Most traditional Navajo ceremonies were undertaken on behalf of individuals in response to specific needs, such as healing. Most Pueblo ceremonies, however, were held by the community for its shared benefit, and they were scheduled according to natural cycles.

Important ceremonies could last for many days and were usually preceded by periods of fasting and prayer. Preparation for a ceremony often included purification through sweating. Indians built a small, airtight structure, called a sweat lodge, for this purpose. Hot stones were placed in the building and sprinkled with water to make steam. People stayed inside until they were perspiring freely. Then they rushed out and plunged into a cold stream, washing away any impurities of body or mind. This treatment was also used as a cure for disease.

Indian
ceremonies involved singing, dancing, and often the use of sacred objects. These objects, typically kept by shamans, were believed to have spiritual power. Among them were masks, drums, dolls, feathers, rocks, ears of corn, or parts of animals’ bodies. Collections of sacred objects were sometimes held together in medicine bundles. A central sacred object of the Northeast Indians and Plains Indians of North America was the Sacred Pipe, or calumet. Some tribes traced the origin of the pipe back to the time of creation. Smoking it was a sacrament that was believed to put humans in contact with the spirits. In South America the shaman’s rattle was a most sacred instrument. The Warao of Venezuela believed that the first shaman ascended to heaven and then brought the original rattle back to Earth.

Usually men and women conducted different kinds of ceremonies. The right to have a particular ceremony typically belonged to a group called a society. Some societies were restricted not only by sex but also by age. Because women were usually in charge of farming and gathering plants, their ceremonies were often meant to ensure that harvests would be good. Growing and collecting plant food was usually a group activity, so women’s societies would perform their rituals in front of the whole community. Men, on the other hand, tended to be involved in individualistic pursuits such as hunting and raiding. Therefore, men often had a building or location out of the public eye where their societies met, various sacred objects were kept, and the male ceremonies were taught to boys.

State-level societies generally made sacrifices to gain favor of the gods. The sacrifice could be an object, a plant, an animal, or a human. The Aztec sacrificed thousands of people each year by offering their hearts to the sun god. Some Inca rituals also included human sacrifice.

Rites of Passage

The array of Indian ceremonies included many that marked the passage of individuals from one life stage or status to another. These rites of passage generally took place at childbirth, puberty, marriage, initiation into a secret society, and death.

Pregnancy and childbirth were an especially dangerous time for expectant mothers. They typically refrained from eating foods or joining in activities that were thought to be dangerous to themselves or their pregnancies. Among other childbirth rituals was the couvade, which was especially common in South America. It brought the father into the birth process by having him imitate labor pains and the delivery of the child. The naming of a newborn child was a major event for many Indian peoples, though a child’s initial name might later be changed. Reasons for doing so varied widely, including having received a name that did not fit one’s personality or that had proven unlucky.

Ceremonial initiation into adulthood was widely practiced among the Indians, for both males and females. The transition was often marked by a vision quest. In some tribes nearly all young people underwent a quest, while in other groups only boys took part. For girls, the first menstruation was often accompanied by ritual. Many peoples believed that powerful spirits were acting on the girl to create the changes in her body. She was believed to be either especially empowered, and therefore potentially dangerous on a spiritual level, or in danger herself. To protect the girl and the community, she was isolated in living quarters some distance from the village for days, weeks, or even a year. The rituals during this time varied. Among the Gwich’in of the Subarctic, a girl wore a pointed hood that caused her to look down toward the ground. Other ceremonial precautions included a rattle of bone that was supposed to prevent her from hearing anything, a special stick to use if she wanted to scratch her head, and a special cup that should not touch her lips.

The Baniwa of Brazil covered the girl’s body with heron feathers and red paint and hid her inside two baskets. The elders delivered dramatic speeches and whipped the girl to open her skin. Pepper was touched to her lips; then a small hole was made in the dirt floor, and she spat into it. She was introduced to various foods, over which chants were sung. After the baskets were opened, the girl stepped out and was decorated and presented anew to the group to the accompaniment of musical instruments and chants.

Death was an important life passage. Indians considered death to be a transition and not an ending. Many peoples thought of human beings as complex beings that bound together different kinds of essences, breaths, or spirits. After death, it was believed, some of these elements could be harmful for living people to encounter without the protection provided by ceremonies.

Methods of disposing of the dead varied among the tribes. Burial in the ground was most commonly practiced. In the North American Southwest, bodies were sometimes placed in caves where they dried, or mummified, in the dry air. On the northern Plains a common practice was to place the dead in trees or on scaffolds for a period of months, after which the remains would be buried. On the Northwest Coast they might be laid in canoes set high on posts. Cremation was practiced by numerous tribes. Usually the ashes were buried in pottery vessels. Almost always, domestic utensils, food, and the ornaments, implements, and other personal belongings of the departed were placed with the remains.

Historical Change

European colonization of the Americas involved religious as well as political, economic, and cultural conquest. Early in the colonial period, missionaries worked to stamp out traditional religions and convert the Indians to Christianity. Later, despite officially guaranteeing freedom of religion, the governments of the United States and Canada banned many native religious activities. In addition, the decline of Indian languages meant the loss of ceremonies, narratives, and other forms of religious knowledge that were known only through the oral tradition.

In some cases, however, the disruption of colonialism spurred native individuals and communities to respond with fresh, powerful ideas for combining tradition and innovation. Two such examples in North America are the Native American church, sometimes known as the peyote church, and the Ghost Dance movement. The Native American church emerged in the mid-1800s when an ancient ritual of central Mexico moved into the United States and blended with Christian influences. It spread, in part, through government-run Indian schools, and it is the only native religious tradition that has spread from coast to coast. The Ghost Dance was one of two movements influenced by Christian traditions that promised the return of the dead and the restoration of Native Americans’ traditional way of life. The Ghost Dance suffered a terrible tragedy when government efforts to suppress the movement led to the massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, S.D., in 1890. Nevertheless, it continued in modified form until the 1950s and underwent occasional revivals in the later 20th century.

Another response to European colonization was the creation of American Indian Christian congregations. In some instances missionaries forced the Indians to convert to Christianity, with dire punishment for refusal. In other cases the Indians appear to have accepted the new religion voluntarily, out of sincere devotion to the missionaries and their message. In yet other cases Christianity was probably accepted for a more practical mix of reasons. Often conversion meant an increased chance for physical survival, regardless of how sincere the conversion was. Once physical survival and a degree of stability had been established, many congregations of Native American Christians recast their faith and practice to include traditional views and values. Kinship obligations, sharing of resources, and a general emphasis on community in preference to individualistic approaches to salvation have been some of these native Christian adaptations. In some cases traditional language and symbolism have been incorporated into Christian worship as well.

The religious life of South American Indians remained vibrant and varied even after the disruption of European contact. Linguists have described as many as 1,500 distinct languages and native cultures in South America. Very few surviving communities, however, have been uninfluenced by Christian missionaries. For centuries Roman Catholicism was the dominant Christian influence on Native American peoples. In the 20th century various forms of Protestant Christianity took hold, especially Evangelical and Pentecostal.

Nevertheless, native religious ideas and practices have endured, even in communities that have long had involvement with Christian beliefs. In many of these cases, Christian views have been creatively absorbed and reframed within native worldviews. In some instances native myths have borrowed Christian features in order to offer a criticism of Christianity, putting forward Christ-like supernatural heroes who led rebellions against colonial rule and missionaries.

Religious ideas and practices associated with the end of the world abound in South America. Such movements swept across the continent after European contact, with their prophets and saviors often leading revolts against the colonists. Among the Guaraní people in Paraguay, shamans led groups on pilgrimages in search of a paradise called the Land Without Evil. The very existence of the Land Without Evil offered the Guaraní hope, security, and courage in the face of the hunger, sickness, and death that followed the Spanish conquest.

Religious Preservation

Under pressure from native groups, the U.S. Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) in 1978. AIRFA committed the federal government to protecting Indian religions and their followers. Today many forms of traditional worship are thriving. The Native American Church remains the most widespread native religious movement among North American Indians and serves as a unifying force for native peoples across the United States.

The passage of AIRFA also helped Native American efforts to control their sacred sites. Many places used for ceremonial purposes or believed to be the home of powerful spirits have been disrupted by recreational activities and commercial use. The Wyoming rock formation called Devils Tower, for example, is a national monument administered by the U.S. National Park Service. For many Plains peoples, however, it is a sacred site known as Grizzly Bear Lodge. Many Indians visit the monument during June, which is a holy month in their religious calendar. Some Indians believe that climbing on the formation should be banned at the site either permanently or at least during June. Some climbers, however, believe this would unfairly restrict their use of public lands. Since 1995 the National Park Service has asked visitors not to climb the formation during June. Although the restriction is voluntary, many people have chosen to follow it out of respect for native religious traditions.

A related concern among Indian preservationists is the control of human remains and sacred objects. For centuries scientists and curiosity seekers have collected the bodies of Indians from battlefields, cemeteries, and burial mounds. The scientists have claimed that the remains were essential to the study of human origins. Masks, carvings, and other sacred artifacts have also been taken, sometimes illegally, and held in museums and universities. Using both moral and legal arguments, native peoples have worked for repatriation—the return of these items to tribal control. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), passed by the U.S. Congress in 1990, created a process for the return of many remains and sacred objects to native peoples. NAGPRA allows tribes to press claims for the repatriation of certain types of objects from any institution receiving federal funds.

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